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10
THE INTERVIEWER.
A Trotting Talk About Ditches,'"Op Gar
dens," Grapes, and Fruit Trees—The
Alfalfa Crop-When to Cut, How to Cut
and Stack It—A Ride With Dr. Morri
son.
Last spring when Dr. Morrison filled
Thk Intkkvikwkk's mind with infor
mation about the manner of preparing
the ground for alfalfa seed, manner of
sowing-, irrigating1 and other things
pertaining to the crop, the promise
was given to look after his manner of
cutting, curing and stacking. As I
met the doctor on the street this after
noon, knowing that his first alfalfa
harvest was in progress, I began ques
tioning him upon the subject. His
horse and buggy were standing near
ready for the doctor's prompt answer
to a professional call, so he said: "If
you want to talk with me about alfalfa
we'd best take a drive out to the farm,
and we'll get at the matter as we go
along."
Of course the invitation was the
very thing- I had been hoping for. In
we jumped, and sped along at a strictly
professional gait over the level road to
the farm, a mile and a half southeast
of the city.
The first thing to attract attention
was the grand private irrigating1 ditch
which so amply supplies this 220-acre
ranch with the blood of plant life. It
is one of the prettiest and best con
structed ditches in the county, its
course marked out with scientific skill
so as to permit of laterals to water
every foot of the land.
Crossing the ditch, we enter a drive
way along1 one side of the 27-acre " 'op
garden, you know," as our English
cousins express it. Here is a force of
nine men busily engaged in tying up
vines displaced from the poles and
wires by the wind storms of Saturday
and Sunday. It is extra work, of
course, but cheerfuly done, with
thanks that results are not at all seri
ous. Beyond the displacement and the
breaking" off of a few heads of vines,
no damage has been done. The crop
is looking finely.
At the end of this drive a grand
boulevard is reached extending south
ward along- the edge of the slight bluff
to the hop house. The sloping aide of
the "rise" is planted to rows of Con
cord grape vines, four in number, and
comprising 1,000 plants. They were
set last year. So far this spring- they
have made a growth of 2 to 3 feet each.
The majority of them are in blossom
and will yield considerable fruit.
About midway of the boulevard on the
left, in the midst of a beautiful grove
of young" locusts, preparations are be
ing made for the construction of a line
resulenee. Before the hop house is
THE RANCH
reached we have a view of 6 acres to
orchard — Bpitsenburg, Northern Spy,
Winesap and Yellow Newtown Pip
pin. The trees are two years old and
as thrifty as could be wished. Front
ing' this end of the boulevard is a 24
--acre orchard of yearling- trees —10
acres to Bartlett pears and 14 to Spitz
cnbergs and Red-cheeked Pippins.
"One gets wisdom with age, you see,"
said the doctor. "I have learned to
plant less varieties and such as the
market demands."
What is the fallow land on the bot
tom to the left? I inquired. That
piece, seven acres, is being prepared
for an orchard. And what do you sup
pose I am going- to put in?
Give it up, was the response. "Well,
lam g-oing-to Put out tnat varietywhich
has the least merit but that sells about
the best of anything- that g-oes to the
eastern market —the notorious Ben
Davis.
Will you plant the trees this fall?
No, I shall wait until spring-. I know
that spring-planted trees do well, and
I shall stick to that season.
Then we enter the hop house, after
taking- in the beautiful view of the
valleys, hills and mountain rang-es
that is here .presented —one of the
finest landscape panoramas to be
REMARKING
ABOUT
SUNNYSIOE
For the information of cur many
inquirer* about ten and twenty-acre
fruit, hop and alfalfa farms near
Siinnyside, would say that we have
had a very lively request during the
past week, both for {Sunnyside bttni<
ness and acre lots, and for the larger
farms surrounding the town, and
we have had a goodly number of
eastern settlers during the week.
Sonic special bargains which we
desire to lay before intending liome
leekeri are:
Three oholoe acre lots In (be town or Bun
nysidc, beautifully smooth and ready for
Immediate Irrigation, and in the most rapid
ly building aeotloa of the town. We also
have thirty acres of excellent fruit and hop
land one liiile from Nunnyside. This land is
in the midst of the most rapidly growing
part of the country surrounding the town,
where over twenty-five farm houses have
hern erected within the last six weeks. The
terms are only one-fifth down and balance in
Jive years time.
If you arc seeking a home in a
prosperous, rapidly-growing coun
try, we think it is worth your while
to make a trip to Sunnyside and
Chat With McGinnis.
found in this wholly beautiful coun
try. The house is admirably con
structed —double walls, finely.ventilat
ed, and fitted up with all modern ap
pliances for curing and baling the
crop.
Then we drive along- to the farm
house through the great alfalfa field,
which brings to mind the real object
of the drive, which had been lost sight
of in the "shuffle."
At what stage of growth do you pre
fer to have alfalfa cut? Just before
the bloom opens. One may not get
quite as much weight, but the quality
is superior—less woody and more nu
tritious. The first time I would cut a
little earlier than the later growths,
for this reason: I have been watching
things pretty closely for several years,
and have noticed that almost invari
ably we have a rain between the Ist
and sth of June. I want the crop
cared for before the rain conies on. I
could not get at it this year, and you
see I am caught with thirty acres
down. It will be faded out somewhat,
but not seriously damaged if we have
no more showers.
You cut with the ordinary mower, I
suppose? Yes; we use the Osborne,
but others are just as g-ood probably.
After cutting, what is the next step?
What is cut today is raked into wind
rows to-morrow and put into bunches
with hand forks, where it lies until the
following-day, when it is hauled and
put in rick.
There is no tedding- or stirring?
None. With our suns there is no need
of it, and the less handling the better.
What foundation do you prepare for
the ricks? None whatever. We choose
the highest ground, and build from
the ground up.
How wide do you prefer the rick?
About 12 feet; 14 to 16 feet high, be
ginning to "draw in" at 8 to 10 feet.
At second cutting the rick has settled
considerably, and we put more on top
and extend the rick lengthwise. We
make ricks on each forty, as near the
center as possible, so as to avoid long
hauls.
How will you manage the hay that
got caught in the rain? We'll simply
turn the bunches over tomorrow morn
ing, let them dry out, and rick. Al
falfa should not be overdried. lam a
beginner, you know, at farming, and
feel that I have much to learn; but I
have given you my way of handling
the crop now.
Do you expect to cut three times this
season? Yes, and probably four. I
shall have a gr>od deal of hay, and
look for fair prices for what I do not
feed out.
Do you think the first cutting- pref
erable for dairy stock? I have not ex
perimented in that line. It may be,
but I see no reason why it should be.